Pakistan’s retail payments hit $592 billion in first quarter FY26
Pakistan’s retail payments grow sharply in FY26 Q1, led by mobile banking, rising digital usage, and expanding financial inclusion nationwide.
KARACHI – Pakistan recorded a sharp rise in retail payments during the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year, reaching Rs166 trillion ($592 billion), according to a report released by the central bank on Tuesday. The figure reflects a six percent increase compared to the previous quarter.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), in its quarterly review of payment systems, reported that retail payment transactions climbed to 2.8 billion, showing a 10 percent growth on a quarterly basis. The total value of these payments also surged to $592 billion over the same period.
Pakistan’s goods imports surged 21.7% YoY in 5MFY26, driven by a staggering 106.4% jump in transport equipment and double-digit increases across food, machinery, metals, and miscellaneous imports. Only petroleum imports declined (-2.0%). With the import bill rising across 8 of 9… pic.twitter.com/OF6qXaX8OO
— Economic Policy & Business Development (@EPBDT) December 24, 2025
“This expansion was primarily driven by the continued rise in mobile app-based banking,” the SBP report said.
The report further said digital payment channels accounted for 2.5 billion transactions, representing 90% of total retail payments compared to 87% in the same quarter last year.
The central bank said mobile app-based payments dominated the digital landscape, with 2 billion transactions carried out through apps offered by banks, branchless banking (BB) providers and EMIs [electronic money institutions].
“These transactions constituted 81% of all digital payments and amounted to PKR 33.7 trillion [$120.3 billion] in value,” the SBP report said.
Internet banking also saw a “steady expansion,” with the report stating that an increasing number of users conducted transactions through digital channels. Payment cards in circulation increased to 61.3 million, the SBP said, of which 90% are debit cards and four percent are credit cards.
Pakistan to Export $14.5 Million Worth of Halal Meat to Tajikistan
The report also said that a network of 20,527 ATMs facilitated 267 million transactions across the country during the quarter that amounted to Rs4.5 trillion [$16.1 billion].
“These developments collectively reflect continued progress toward a more inclusive, efficient, and digitally enabled payments ecosystem in Pakistan,” the SBP said.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.